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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · wave · last · racket · file · shower · can · fine

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. last — to go on
  8. pitch — completely
  9. last — final
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — finally
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. file — a line of people
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a document
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com